RI 2026 S2555A: Education - The Support and Access to Bilingual Education Act

Plain-English Summary

This bill creates "The Support and Access to Bilingual Education Act." It establishes a fund to provide grants to public school districts, community organizations, and colleges to create or expand bilingual education programs. The grants can be used for planning, professional development, buying curriculum materials, and helping teachers get certified in bilingual and world language instruction. To qualify, school districts must have a high number of multilingual students. It also requires state education departments to work together to increase the number of certified bilingual and world language teachers.

For younger readers

This bill creates a special pool of money to help public schools teach students in two languages. Schools that have a lot of students who speak a language other than English at home can use this money to set up new classes. The money can be used to buy books, train teachers, and help people get their official teaching licenses so they can teach classes in two different languages.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Multilingual studentsPublic school districtsBilingual and world language teachersCommunity-based organizationsInstitutions of higher education

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Provides targeted funding to school districts with high populations of multilingual learners, promoting educational equity for immigrant and non-native English speaking communities.
Expands public education services by establishing and funding high-quality bilingual and dual-language instruction models.
Reduces financial barriers for educators by providing grants to cover the costs of bilingual and world language teacher certifications.
Limits grant eligibility to traditional public school districts and their direct partners, potentially excluding alternative educational models or independent community programs.
Relies partly on charitable contributions and other non-state sources, which may create an unstable funding stream compared to fully guaranteed state appropriations.
Restricts the definition of qualifying languages to the most common ones according to Census data, which might neglect marginalized students who speak less common indigenous or minority languages.

For Conservatives

Allows for charitable contributions and other non-state funding sources to support the bilingual education fund, reducing the sole reliance on taxpayer dollars.
Maintains local control by allowing school districts to self-evaluate their staffing needs and design their own gradual staffing plans.
Streamlines the teacher certification process by requiring state agencies to collaborate and reduce bureaucratic hurdles for issuing language certifications.
Expands government spending by creating a new state-funded grant program for public education.
Shifts educational focus away from traditional English-only immersion programs by actively promoting and funding dual-language and native language instruction.
Creates new bureaucratic frameworks and mandates collaboration between state education departments to oversee new certification pathways.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 115 additions

SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled "EDUCATION" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 16-54.1-1. Short title. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as “The Support and Access to Bilingual Education Act.” 16-54.1-2. Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter:

(1) “Bilingual dual language teacher”, or “BDL teacher,” means a teacher who provides integrated language and content instruction in a partner language only or in a partner language and in English, appropriate to the instructional program model they teach in, and holds the appropriate certification pursuant to regulation 200-RICR-20-20-1.

(2) “Bilingual language instruction program model” or "Bilingual education program model” is an approach that serves multilingual learners at all stages of English language development and who share a common home/native language. The goal of this approach is proficiency and literacy in English and a partner language, as well as content achievement in both English and a partner language. Instruction is provided in both English and home/native or partner language. The bilingual education approach consists of dedicated English language development and integrated language and content instruction components and can be structured in any of the instructional program models as defined by 200-RICR-20-30-3.

(3) "Department" means the department of elementary and secondary education.

(4) "Eligible teacher" means a full-time teacher certified to teach in a kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) school by the department of elementary and secondary education and is actively teaching within a public school with a high-incidence of multilingual learners in accordance with regulation 200-RICR-20-30-3.

(5) "High incidence of multilingual learners" means a local educational agency with a multilingual learners student population that meets at least one of the following two (2) criteria: (i) Is greater than or equal to two hundred and fifty (250) total multilingual learners; or (ii) Is greater than or equal to twenty percent (20%) of the local educational agency's total student population pursuant to the Rhode Island regulations governing the education of multilingual learners (200- RICR-20-30-3).

(6) "Local education agency" or "LEA" shall have the same meaning as defined in § 16- 92-3.

(7) "Multilingual individual" means an individual who has demonstrated advanced low or higher proficiency in the target language of certification in accordance with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale through any of the approved seal of biliteracy language proficiency assessments including, but not limited to: ACT, SAT, advanced placement (English language and composition, English literature and composition, and world language), ACCESS, LAS Links (Form C/D), AAPPL, STAMP 4S, and ASLPI.

(8) "Qualifying languages" means the most common languages other than English spoken in the local education agency according to the U.S. Census Bureau and department data sources.

(9) "State" means the State of Rhode Island.

(10) "World language educator" means a person who is certified by the department of elementary and secondary education as an all grades world language teacher in accordance with regulation 200-RICR-20-20-1. 16-54.1-3. Support and access to bilingual education act fund authorized.

(a) The department shall establish and maintain a bilingual education support fund to provide grants to traditional public school districts that establish and expand bilingual language instruction program models; community-based organizations in collaboration with traditional public school districts that establish and expand bilingual language instruction program models; or institutions of higher education in partnership with traditional public school districts that establish and expand bilingual language instruction program models.

(b) The fund shall consist of:

(1) Appropriations made by the general assembly pursuant to this section;

(2) Charitable contributions to the fund; and

(3) Other sources deemed appropriate by the department. 16-54.1-4. Implementation of traditional public school district dual language programs.

(a) Eligibility for applicants shall be a minimum of one the following:

(1) A traditional public school district within the state;

(2) A community-based organization working in partnership with one or more traditional public school district(s) within the state; or

(3) An institution of higher education (IHE) working in partnership with one or more traditional public school district(s) within the state.

(b) An applicant may be eligible to receive a grant pursuant to the provisions of this chapter if:

(1) The traditional public school district uses or is planning to create a high-quality bilingual language instruction program model in accordance with chapter 54 of title 16 (“education of limited English proficient students”) and in accordance with regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.

(2) The LEA has a high incidence of multilingual learners as defined in 200-RICR-20-30- 3. For purposes of this section, the qualifying language(s) of instruction, in addition to English, shall be determined based on the predominant home language(s) of the multilingual learner (MLL) student population.

(3) The LEA develops and commits to an immediate or gradual staffing plan to support the kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) dual language program.

(c) Traditional public school districts are encouraged to leverage existing funds including the state share of the MLL funding formula distribution and federal funds.

(d) Traditional public school district, community-based organization, and institution of higher education recipients funded pursuant to § 16-54.1-3, shall utilize such monies for dual language program planning and implementation activities including, but not limited to:

(1) Partnering with education professionals and organizations to design programs;

(2) Developing and executing professional development for administrators and instructors; or

(3) Traditional public school districts self-evaluation program planning and implementation of staffing needs including, but not limited to:

(i) Providing financial support for bilingual dual language and world language teacher certification;

(ii) Providing in-service educator dual language professional development;

(iii) Procuring high-quality curricular materials to enhance dual language instruction; and

(iv) Other activities designed to facilitate or promote the LEA’s existing or emerging dual language programs.

(e) Only programs that adhere to high quality dual language program standards shall be funded. 16-54.1-5. Strategy and support to expand teaching certifications for bilingual dual language and world language teachers.

(a) The department shall collaborate with the office of the postsecondary commissioner, and in consultation with any approved educator preparation program, to increase and streamline the issuance of world language and bilingual dual language certifications for purposes of increasing the number of bilingual dual language and world language teachers in LEAs with a high incidence of multilingual learners as defined in 200-RICR-20-30-3.

(b) Eligibility for applicants shall be at a minimum one of the following:

(1) A traditional public school district within the state;

(2) A community-based organization working in partnership with one or more traditional public school district(s) within the state; or

(3) An institution of higher education (IHE) working in partnership with one or more traditional public school district(s) within the state.

(1) Support for teacher certification costs are granted to multilingual individuals who plan to teach in a traditional public school district and use, or is planning to create, a high-quality bilingual language instruction program model in accordance with chapter 54 of title 16 (“education of limited English proficient students”) and further in accordance with regulations promulgated pursuant thereto;

(2) The LEA has a high incidence of multilingual learners as defined in 200-RICR-20-30- 3; or

(3) The qualifying language(s) of instruction, in addition to English, shall be determined based on the predominant home language(s) of the multilingual learner student population.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.